Outside the usual suspects in '13 and '14? I'd say a Nic Moore/Demetrius Jackson type. Nic Moore has proven he can produce against postseason-caliber competition. And you need ballhandlers, badly. Some would say Moore is a bridge-the-gap guy; I think he's better than that, as do several high-major assistants I've talked to. He would fit in quite well with John Groce's plan, and Illinois will continue to push for the Illinois State transfer. I expect Nic Moore will be on the SMU campus this week, and I expect Illinois will try to get him on campus next week. I don't expect Purdue will be on the final list, but that could change. The Illinois staff has a relationship with Moore. Assistant coach Jamall Walker was their lead recruiter on the point guard at Ohio, and Groce has those Indiana ties. As for fifth-year seniors, Wright State transfer Julius Mays was the best prospect in that regard. He's going to Kentucky. As for other visits, I think you'll see Maverick Morgan on the Illinois campus early next week, along with visits from East Chicago guard Hyron Edwards and Springfield Lanphier combo guard Larry Austin Jr.

Looks like we might be the team to beat for Nic Moore and things sound pretty positive about Demetrius Jackson. I think Groce knows he'll get at least one of the two and that's why he parted way with Jalen James.

Also, I think its awesome that DJ and Bertrand are already back on campus working out together. Looks like those two are taking this upcoming season pretty seriously.

is it just me or are we really branching out from just Illinois players. I am not saying that is bad but it seems either the current expectations are higher (going after higher / more national recruits) or maybe the background of the current staff allows us to have more "in's". After all, Howard, McClain and Weber all were Illinois sort of people (okay - Weber a long time ago Indiana).

is it just me or are we really branching out from just Illinois players. I am not saying that is bad but it seems either the current expectations are higher (going after higher / more national recruits) or maybe the background of the current staff allows us to have more "in's". After all, Howard, McClain and Weber all were Illinois sort of people (okay - Weber a long time ago Indiana).

Part of it is that we are kind of "behind" with the Illinois kids in the 2013/2014 classes. Plus, this staff is not going to put all their eggs in one basketball (Illinois kids only).

I prefer it that way. It puts more pressure on local kids to commit or their spot may fill up. If they do not want to come here, there are plenty of good players all over the country.

There is absolutely no reason we can not recruit nationally. Other schools in the B1G do it. Other schools in the Midwest do it. Weber refused to do it or could not do it. I am all for it. I don't care where they come from, get the best players possible.

A commitment from Nunn would be as important with perception as it would be with his ability. Okay player, but it would be just as big from a perception standpoint, in landing a Simeon guy with plenty of hype behind him. http://www.illinihq.com/chats/2012-0...ball-chat.html

WTF? What, exactly, are you basing your fear of losing Hill on? I've seen no evidence to warrant worrying about Hill's commitment.

Were you not a fan when the IDKWTI situation went down? I'm not saying this is a similar case and you are correct that nothing do far indicates there should be concern, but it is also fair to say that things can change between now and the day Hill puts pen to paper and signs his LoI. That's all.

Were you not a fan when the IDKWTI situation went down? I'm not saying this is a similar case and you are correct that nothing do far indicates there should be concern, but it is also fair to say that things can change between now and the day Hill puts pen to paper and signs his LoI. That's all.

There were a million tangible things to be concerned about in the IDKWTI recruitment from the day Mike Davis was fired.

There were a million tangible things to be concerned about in the IDKWTI recruitment from the day Mike Davis was fired.

True. My point is that things can change. I'm not saying ihabe inside info or facts or anything, and I'm not trying to cause panic. The back to back losses of Chew and James, regardless of how each poster viewed James' potential, has been a bit of a downer. Hopefully things start to pick up soon so that we can get some positive momentum going.

From what I've been reading, (*KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!!!!*), our 2013 and 2014 classes - one way or another, instate kids or not - will both turn out okay, and by the time we get to 2015, that'll be our chance to really "lock down" (in parentheses because there is so much talent in Illinois that one team has too few spots to ever not let someone "slip away") the state.

We may be behind with Okafor, Alexander, maybe Parker and maybe even Austin, Jr., but it's good to hear we're in good spots with Moore and Jackson, and I see no reason to think we're still not in a good spot, if not leading, with Nunn. I've said this from the beginning, and I could be wrong, but I think a commitment from Nunn goes a long way toward landing Parker, who I think is way more attainable than most here seem to think. I understand tampering the expectations because of the last few years, but I've never heard that national of a recruit be so high on UI since Marcus Liberty, hahaha.

Part of it is that we are kind of "behind" with the Illinois kids in the 2013/2014 classes. Plus, this staff is not going to put all their eggs in one basketball (Illinois kids only).

I prefer it that way. It puts more pressure on local kids to commit or their spot may fill up. If they do not want to come here, there are plenty of good players all over the country.

There is absolutely no reason we can not recruit nationally. Other schools in the B1G do it. Other schools in the Midwest do it. Weber refused to do it or could not do it. I am all for it. I don't care where they come from, get the best players possible.

+infinity

Narrowing our scope to just Illinois is beyond idiotic.

Disclaimer: not saying we should squander our recruiting resources on Quixotic forays.

From what I've been reading, (*KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!!!!*), our 2013 and 2014 classes - one way or another, instate kids or not - will both turn out okay, and by the time we get to 2015, that'll be our chance to really "lock down" (in parentheses because there is so much talent in Illinois that one team has too few spots to ever not let someone "slip away") the state.

There is so much talent available in the next few years that just about everyone will have great recruiting classes. How they fit together and within the program will be what ultimately separates the talent-laden teams.

Were you not a fan when the IDKWTI situation went down? I'm not saying this is a similar case and you are correct that nothing do far indicates there should be concern, but it is also fair to say that things can change between now and the day Hill puts pen to paper and signs his LoI. That's all.